Twisting Heads!
by BlackCypress
Summary: A very odd and horrifying creation. Its all starts in the FF7 world, and goes to hell from there. Better warnings/descriptions inside on first chapter. Gah.
1. What is this mess?

Authors notes: If you're reading this far, I'm surprised. Actually clicking on this little link to satisfy curiosity and reading this note is beyond my comprehension. And now I will tell you why. 

This fic is full of bad ideas. There's some good ones too, but most of it is bad ideas. I remember someone once telling me that sometimes you had to do a lot of bad work before you could do anything good. So I've decided to branch off from something else I conspired and slapped together with a good friend of mine and just flat out write whatever came to mind. 

Thus, I've attained a fusion of Final Fantasy Seven and Final Fantasy Eight, with momentary spicing of Cowboy Bebop, and a rather Fucked Up view of the Internet. Simply put, everything I love and the precise reason as to why I do not publicly emulate them. The characters are most likely heavily OOC as I direct their bodies around to follow my whims and wishes. There will likely be several footnotes and cropping of materiel not exactly suitable for this website. Rather than rant anymore, I'm going to write the disclaimer and get on with it. 

Disclaimer: I do not own The Planet, the Other Planet, Sephiroth, Vincent, Reeve, Reno, Elena, Rude, Cid Highwind, Shera, Chaos, Seifer, Zell, Squall, Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa, Headmaster Cid, Quistis, Xu, Rajin, Fujin, Kawadoki (Probably spelled wrong several times), Balamb Garden, Spike, Jet, Swordfish, The claw thing Jet flies, or the Internet. I don't actually like Cloud, so he's being excluded from this fic. (Come to think of it, Yuffie, Tifa and Barret aren't in here either.)  
Info and Cyber are borrowed characters and I have been given full permission to use them within this fiction. Dolphin of Yaoi, thank you. Katelynne, Zane, Droxis, Apothis, various short lived characters and anyone else you don't recognize are probably mine. 'Hyperstyle' is mine, and if you'd like to use it, feel free, just give me credit for it. Anything not mentioned here I've probably forgotten about. 

Now to name this damned thing. Hmm.. 

Oh yeah. This thing is riddled with homosexuality and some lesbianism. You should probably stop NOW if you don't like this stuff. And trust me, most of it isn't going to be any good. In fact, there's an overused plot device in here just to get the first two characters together: Hypothermia. Pretty stupid, eh? 

One last note. Zane's Lance isn't the type you'd expect to see with two knights riding horseback and ramming into each other. It's more like a pike. It's also taller than he is. 

  
**_Twisting Heads_**

World: Seven  
Time: Several years after the whole defeat of Sephiroth. We're going to estimate five.   
Location: Rocket Town.   
Warning: This is not a Mary-Sue, but it still sucks like one. 

Every year, it was the same old thing. He'd enter the city or town he was closest to, buy some knickknacks in the materia or item stores, package them in a box and wrap it up for the mail service. Every year, he'd find hatred or fear directed towards him. Sometimes he'd get hit with rocks or someone would try to chase him off. Sometimes he'd be approached by drunks or sleazy figures and offered a job or some illegal substances. His ancient SOLDIER uniform attracted all types.   
Today, Zane had selected a little pen that held the image of the one rocket that had successfully left the ground and went up into the stars, so many years ago. With it was a little rusted wings pin, something ShinRa had depicted for flight personal back when they were still functional. It hadn't even cost him a single gil, they were so useless now. Not having much money, he couldn't afford much more than a greeting card wishing his son a happy birthday and a small envelope to hold all of it.   
His calloused hand didn't waver as he wrote the address across the front, standing in the office for the local mail carrier. Ignoring the horrified look the girl behind the desk was giving him, frozen like a deer in headlights. His lance leaned against him as he licked the back of the stamps, once after another until he had enough to cover the cost of the package and the distance it'd be taken. He placed it in front of the girl after drawing a little Smilie face on the package, dropping his last few gil as a tip, and walked out.   
He was reported immediately of course. He'd caught glimpses of personal running from the stores he'd left to one particular house closer to the remainders of the rocket than the others. He began his trek out of the city with a heavy sigh. He didn't like coming back here as much as he should've. Perhaps if the circumstances had been different. Perhaps if the SOLDIER had never been given such a bad name would he think so little of himself. Not that he'd ever take off the uniform. His personal uniform meant more to him than what the world thought of it. 

He couldn't get far, however. Just at the moment he needed a stream. He'd managed to attain a few other basic living needs at the shops as well as the gifts for his son, whom he frequently doubted he'd ever see again. The thoughts of the Town were left behind him with every step as he thought of other things. Most prominent on his mind was the little creek he'd found on his way into down, not too close, not too far. Clean and clear running was all he needed. Soap from his bag and the white bear skein from around his shoulders. He dropped it into the water and knelt, his lance across his lap while he started to clean the garment.   
He didn't react to the shadow when it fell over him nearly an hour later. He just continued washing the hide, trying to get the scents and dirt out. It'd do him no good to smell like meat when he was hunting herbivore monsters. He also ignored the smoke wafting past, that pretty much completed his suspicions of who it was.   
"What are you doing here?" The shadow over him changed slightly. He watched the shadow split slightly and rest in a different pattern with him. He blinked at it a moment before realizing Cid was armed.   
"Minding my own business." Zane replied, not halting from his washing, until he was satisfied and tamped it down with rocks, letting the natural flow of the stream wash the soap away. "Why are you bothering?" Looking up at the aging man. In his forties he'd gather. A slight smirk on his face as he saw confused recognition light in the pilot's eyes. Yes, Cid recognized Zane, but not why or form where. Or when really.   
"I don't plan on causing trouble. I'm done here." He told Cid, watching the expression change in that face. Stubbornness? He was no mind reader. He could hear the planet sing sometimes, but he was no mind reader. He didn't really know what was going on in side Cid's head, he just raised a brow slightly when he was told not to leave town before the pilot turned and headed back.   
Zane was more than a bit bewildered, but it passed shortly. Very few people recognized him these days. He supposed Cid was planning on hunting around for him or some tale of who Zane was. He didn't expect him to find anything and just went back to watching the water and the skein before him. 

  
He'd camped just outside the city limits, in a small and battered old tent. Patched with various pelts from animals, scraped clean and oiled to keep them from soaking up the rain or other forms of unpleasant weather. He didn't have enough gil left over to pay for a room in the small location referred to as the towns Inn, and no one was willing to have anyone wearing a SOLDIER uniform in their homes. Weather or not it was old, faded, and just as patched and cared for as his tent.   
He considered how long he'd be able to stay here before needing to move again. It wasn't easy being a father to a son he could never see. It wasn't just by his own design, though he did purposely leave town before his son could ever arrive. Once ShinRa fell he'd gotten word of a patrol of black chocobo's and riders that had been scouting over the planet for somebody. The description changed every time, from both ends, but he knew his son was looking for him.   
Looking up at the stars, his mind wandered away from his current disposition in life and wandered. Out amongst the stars, in a dream he'd never fulfill as life had conspired against him. His eyes raking over the bright points and spheres of burning gasses tonight, like every other night for what had to be at least thirty years. He'd stopped worrying, stopped regretting, stopped hating by now. It was all over and couldn't be changed, he saw that now.   
Lifting his lance, turning it slightly until the emerald green spearhead had caught a glint of light from the town. He remembered some of the feats he'd performed in his time in the wilds. Including the one that had caused him to run and hide a lot more often. He'd killed the Emerald Weapon, by himself. He'd been so elated when he'd pulled it off that he'd carried a chink of its flesh along with many scales to sell, almost forgetting himself then. Almost getting caught by everyone that wanted him dead, almost getting caught by his son. He almost could've sworn some of the 'planets heros' were in the city at the same time. He'd gone out of his way to avoid them.   
Now e just had a few stores of scales hidden away. He'd pick one up and go sell it whenever he ran out of money,b ut was considerably more discreet about it. Emerald Scale weapons were becoming more common as well, so he didn't have to hide his lance as often. A few materia equipped in his bracers, a rare find of a Summon in his lance's slot, and his life in the wilds was relatively easy now. 

His reverie was broken, however, when the light reflected in his lance bobbed and he found a sharp point in his back as he inhaled smoke into his lungs. He'd been so lost in his own thoughts that he hadn't even realized Cid had been standing there the entire time, observing him.   
"Yeah, I remember you now, you little shit." Cid cursed to the back of Zane's head, who'd opted for standing still at the moment. "You were here for the opening..." 

_The officials and their soldiers were shaking Cid's hand, a young, excited engineer with dreams for the stars and functioning ideas no one had quite seen before. He'd built them their helicopters and planes, among other things. A genius in his own right. The camera flashed, making a record of the moment in time while everyone ignored the deck hands and SOLDIER helping doing the actual work of moving parts and tools in for the project. It was mere chance a man a few years older than Cid has been sneering at the officials in the background while passing. His face had been a recorded blur no one really remembered until actually directed at it. _

"Yeah.."   
"And the Christening too..." 

_ He had been. Not as a worker that time though. Standing in the background again, his arms crossed behind his back and his uniform bold and new over his body. There with five others, their eyes scanning the gathered crowds as they flanked Cid and the ShinRa officials. Another publicity stunt more than anything else. The first rocket, raring and ready to go. It was going to be a fantastic occasion and ShinRa was going to take full responsibility for the success. When it failed, Cid had almost lost his funding. Zane had spent his entire time shadowing the younger man who'd sworn up a storm even as he took the blame. _

"Yeah, that too." Zane doubted he'd noticed anything outside of the pictures, or even remembered that far back really. He'd just been another man in uniform, sent to make sure the companies precious inventor didn't crash and burn, or fall victim to some stalker's mind.   
"You've been here from the start. Spying on me, eh? Reporting to the fucking ShinRa? Who're you reporting to now, dickhead? Are the bastards still alive? How many times have you been here?" Zane could feel the point digging further into his back with every question from Cid's quickly angering voice. "Answer me!"   
The last jab was too much and he stepped sharply away, gripping his lance in both hands and turning to face Cid, scowling. "Fuck off. My uniform is none of your business."   
"It's my fucking business when you walk into my goddamned down, asswipe!" Snarled Cid, pulling back one foot and pulling into a stance, both his hands on the last weapon he'd acquired from the entire planet saving 'adventure', the Dragoon Lance.   
Zane spit at his feet, backing off and raising his Emerald Lance, his eyes narrowing at Cid. "Funny, I seem to remember I was leaving before your skinny little ass called me back." He cockily twirled his weapon before catching it and facing the point at Cid again. "Don't tempt me little man, I'll beat you until the ground is soaked with your blood."   
"Eat shit and die." Cid's last words echoed in his ear before he launched forward, jabbing in with his weapon, a fierce and angry expression in his eyes. 

[[ For those of you reading this far, you will be happy to know I did a bit of research for this battle. Primarily, I went and selected one of the household brooms and played with it. Finding the center of gravity too close to the brooms head, I strapped a large bottle of ketchup to the other side with masking tape and posed and mock battled outside. My next door neighbor, Marty, suggested several poses and things to help my writing. It's a shame he'll probably never read this. ]] 

There is no easy and dynamic way to hold a javelin sticking out straight from your body. The strain on your arms is too damned much to handle, not to mention you're quite an open target. He turned to the side immediately, dodging and twisting away from Cid's thrust as both his hands gripped his javelin, taking a center point as he backed away from the pilot. Muscles flexed in both their arms as grips were adjusted momentarily. Both leapt and attacked.   
Gripping closer to the head of his emerald weapon, Zane chose fast and sharp stabs while Cid took the overall power strike, being forced back immediately as Zane got inside his striking range and past his defenses. Zane's style was highly aggressive as he'd been fighting monsters since his banishment from Midgar with hardly any interaction with people. Cid counteracted as if he were fighting a short bladed swordsmen, leaping back in a greater bound and swinging, suddenly slamming the flat of his blade hard into Zane's unprotected skull.   
Cid sneered as the old SOLDIER stumbled and cursed. Watching the hand motions as his style changed. Both of them had had training. Both of them were good. But Zane was betting he was better, Not having time to be a rocket scientist or much of a life for the past thirty years. He snarled and moved in again. 

[[ You know, I finally got around to finding out what the Venus Gospel actually looks like and.. Damn. That's got to be the most crazily imbalanced and impractical weapon I've ever seen. Attack value or not, its just stupid. I'm going back and changing Cid's weapon to something more sensible, like the Dragoon Lance. Which I think is actually a javelin, but anyway. Something by Ekova would be a good soundtrack to this fight by the way. How Sweet Mal or Aurora's Flight, I think. ]] 

The fight wasn't a slow lumber of poses and stances. They weapons were heavy and meant for fast dispatchement of an enemy, not a prolonged battle. Zane could feel his wrists feeling the strain in a matter of moments from the clashes of weapon against weapon in evasive maneuvers or blocks from one side to the other. For just as many strikes as Zane lay down on Cid, he found himself getting the same damages.   
A downward swing to Cid's legs was suddenly reversed as he hitched up the shaft quickly, bringing his hand up under the edge of his spearhead and raked the tip up across Cid's chest, causing the man to cry out and stumble back from the unforeseen move. The retaliation, Zane cursed to himself as he nearly fell, was Cid inverting his weapon and slamming the brunt of the balancing ballast into Zane's skull.   
Zane's efforts in blocking the next several jabs were up to naught as Cid was now doing better than he was. Going for the much needed joints and muscles for his arms, he found Cid's weapon piercing hard into one of his shoulders, pulling out with just enough space for him to roll away before getting jabbed again. The pain was reaching his breaking point in the next round of jabs and counter attacks as he only took more and more scores and damages. Finally reaching his limit, Zane's eyes flared. 

The ground around him seemed to ripple and flow, brightening as if a few hundred fireflies were lighting up in the grasses beneath his feet. He twirled his emerald bladed weapon once before he gripped it in his hands tightly. The points of light raising around him as his eyes narrowed until almost shut. He launched forward, screaming unintelligibly at the top of his lungs as the Emerald glowed an almost blinding color. Zane's Limit Break, Endless Strike, had been released in pure fury upon the Captain of Rocket Town, Cid Highwind. 

People shut their doors tight and stared, horrified, out of their windows, watching the two figures outside in the darkness, lit by magic's untold. Watching their town's strongest resident getting pummeled under strike after strike, blow after blow from the glowing white hot weapon. Brutal and endless, it seemed, unrelenting even as Cid fell and could no longer block the damages.   
Not all was lost however as Cid almost collapsed to a standstill. Zane had thought he'd won, and backed down slightly, trying to catch his breath as the madness still sang in his veins. Urging him to end the life of the poor creature in front of him. When the deep rumbling hum of something all too familiar caused him to look up.   
To find the moon and the stars replaced by softly blinking lights and whirling propellers as the Highwind soared over him. Pod doors and cannons turning to aim towards their target.   
Zane screamed in terror, realizing just who it was being targeted and fled for his life, what little of it that was left for him to appreciate. A futile move as each shell screamed through the air, slamming into the man's back, sides, front or simply falling straight down onto his head, following the heat signature of his wounded and exhausted body. Overwhelmed shortly by pain, he collapsed, and the hail of fire soon ended, leaving him barely breathing and wondering how he'd managed to pull out of that alive. 

He blinked furthermore, finding that, despite all the damages he'd just taken, something drove him to stand. Some honor bound oath triggering his mind do move, hobble and make his way back to Cid in jerky motions. Standing over the crumpled form of an also barely conscious Cid, he croaked softly. "Truce?"   
"Yeah." Agreed Cid.   
Zane nodded, offering his hand down to Cid and shortly hauling the man to his feet, a pale green materia in his wrist guard glowing ominously as it empowered him to cast a weak Cure over both exhausted and bloody warriors. "Where am I taking you, Chief?" 

  
And so the night went, Cid accepting the venerable lancer of quality skill into his home, with much cursing as Shera tried to order Cid to give the guest the good bed. Cid showed no real trust in Zane as of yet, but had found it he had meant to cause trouble, much worse would've happened already.   
Bedding down for the night, Zane blearily watched Shera shuffling around the house, shutting off lamps and setting out a small candle and the teapot for the morning. He smiled wearily before his eyes shut to the woman's actions. Comfortable and quite warm under one of the houses apparently abundant supplies of comforters and blankets, he soon slipped off to a peaceful and fluffy dream land. 

----  
End notes: Surprise surprise, I actually ended that chapter about four paragraphs ago, then wiped it all off as it sucked too much, and redid it. It still sucks, but as mentioned before, that's the point of this story. 

Next Chapter!: I try to remember the damned order of the #$%@$*^ events of the plot! .. Yeah, its scary, isn't it? There's actually a plot here. Mmmm. Lets see. Um. Next chapter.. Cid and Zane have an intimate moment probably. I think the Turks come around. Trying to remember when Sephiroth and Vincent come in. Essentially, lots of stupid stuff next chapter. The chapter after that will have some plot introduction. But that's all I'm telling right now. 

Yaaay!


	2. Oh god, a second chapter of this mess

Authors notes: Hey, hey, chapter two! I have no real idea why I'm continuing this other than the fact that a few friends found the title amusing. If you thought the first chapter didn't suck as bad as I claimed it to be, you probably wont be disappointed with this chapter. It sucks. Really. 

This chapter is in the FF7 world as well. Anyone reading this far may wonder where the heck the FF8 comes in, or how Spike and Jet ever make it into the story. Well. I'm not going to tell you. It'll get there, It'll just take a while. All the main plot happens in 7, some weird and virtually pointless stuff happens in 8, the Internet will be brought in, and our lovely Bounty Hunters.. But I'm not saying when or how. 

Disclaimer: I do not own The Planet, the Other Planet, Sephiroth, Vincent, Reeve, Reno, Elena, Rude, Cid Highwind, Shera, Chaos, Seifer, Zell, Squall, Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa, Headmaster Cid, Quistis, Xu, Rajin, Fujin, Kawadoki (Probably spelled wrong several times), Balamb Garden, Spike, Jet, Swordfish, The claw thing Jet flies, or the Internet. I don't actually like Cloud, so he's being excluded from this fic.   
Info and Cyber are borrowed characters and I have been given full permission to use them within this fiction. Dolphin of Yaoi, thank you. Katelynne, Zane, Droxis, Apothis, various short lived characters and anyone else you don't recognize are probably mine. 'Hyperstyle' is mine, and if you'd like to use it, feel free, just give me credit for it. Anything not mentioned here I've probably forgotten about. 

Shoutout:   
Thank you, **nny777slavelabor**. You're review on chapter one reminded me this piece of crap existed. Being Sunday and having two hours left to sit around in the house, I decided to work on it. Thus, Chapter Two was born. 

_**Twisting Heads **_

World: Seven   
Time: Several years past the whole defeat of Sephiroth. A day or two after the first chapter.   
Location: Rocket Town   
Warning: This is not a Mary-Sue, but it still sucks like one. 

A few days later after the two had fully formed and Cid's instances had actually managed to get people to stop spitting on Zane as if he was nothing more than Cid's captive, they'd actually started swapping tales and stories of way back when. Zane admitted to having a bit more fascination with air and the ever looming space than the average person did and even discussed a few planes he'd developed models for back when he was in a younger state of mind.  
In return, Cid shared now pointless information of the rockets and the planes he'd developed in the peak of ShinRa's power rage. Shera percolating over the two, serving them tea and getting yelled at now and then, quite usual all things considered.   
Mortal wounds and minimal broken bones being changed to nicks and cuts or healing state from solid doses of Cure around those few days left both men in very good condition. And both of them restless. There was very little work to be done, and the Highwind still off limits to Zane, he was growing rather tired of town life quickly. Plus, the more he lingered, the sooner someone he couldn't face would arrive and he'd have to make some pretty fine excuses for being unavailable.   
Noticing his discomfort though not as to why, Cid nudged him in the back while passing.   
"How about a sparring session on the beach, Eh Zane?" Smoke wafting by again. Zane had long ago stopped wondering if there was a time he ever didn't have a cigarette hanging from his mouth.   
Zane nodded and smiled broadly, moving to fetch his lance by the door, still wearing his uniform. He'd refused to trade it in for something else under the words that he hadn't earned the right to live as a normal person yet.   
Shera packet them lunches, insisting they wait five minutes for her to do so. And yelling back at them, insisting on 'no violence in the house' when they started poking each other with spearheads from impatience. 

  


Once out on the beach without worry of the townsfolk nor Shera to bother them, simply the company of the ever changing waves and each other, they took a moment to take in the sight of their area and enjoy the fresh ocean air.   
"Ready to be beaten bloody?" Came Zane's jovial tone to Cid, who'd promised to go one limit lower this time, as did Zane.   
"You wish, dipshit." Replied Cid, already grinning in anticipation of their precious little battle. "No Final limits, but everything else is fine, agreed?"   
"Agreed. I'll still win." Zane drew off a materia from his armlet and changed it to his lance for a little more power, adding an ice element to the weapon itself as it was junctioned to his only summon, Shiva. Cid's manipulation of his materia was unknown to Zane and made it more interesting.   
Taking their stances, Cid losing his flight jacket and leaving him with nothing more than a shirt to Zane's flimsy uniform without armor pads or bear skin cape, they squared off, and circled each other slightly.   
  
The battle that proceeded was indeed one meant to fully test their skills as fighters. Cid was excellent with his Dragoon Lance, and heaving the ballast to strike when the enemy would expect a jab, or jabbing a foot or joint or other critical location to the well being of his opponent, weakening him much faster than the full on jabs and blows to Cid's own body.  
Breaking apart, casting the lowest level version of Cure available to them, they went at it again. Zane changed tactics to striking Cid with Lightning and catching him in the side when he stumbled. Feeling the countermeasure of fire at his back, he just wrenched his emerald weapon hard into Cid's side before leaping back and away, screaming in pain from being surrounded with flame.   
Their battle continued in a dance of hard, fast movements, brilliant displays and flashings of low level or higher level magics, never quite reaching full potential, and yet never quite healing completely either. They'd made the provisions to all their battles with unspoken word in advance. It was one thing to battle a monster, and another to battle a friend. 

*-*-* 

Back at the house, Shera answered a soft and quite memorable tapping knock on the door. She opened it and smiled quite pleasantly. "Vincent! How good to see you!"   
Vincent just nodded, no particular expression on his face as it seemed was the norm. "I am not intruding on your afternoon, am I?" Hovering there on the step in his normal black and reds, somewhere between intimidating and foolish as it was a rather heated summer day.   
"No, no, not at all. Do come in, I've got a fresh pot of tea on the stove." She stood back slightly, offering him an invitation into the house.   
Vincent hesitated however. "Where is Cid? I'd like to discuss a matter with him."   
She smiled at him lightly, knowing full well Vincent spoke to very few people, if any at all, outside of Cid since the end of the world was supposed to happen. "He's out on the beach with Zane."   
"Zane?"   
"Come in, I'll catch you up on everything." And Shera pulled the victorian-esque warrior within the shading of the home, shutting the door and chasing him into a seat for some tea and a discussion. 

*-*-* 

Zane panted, taking several more blows, nearly falling from the aggression. Their battle had to be a fast one as, though their training and experience had been long and hard, their injured arms could only take so much shifting and moving of weight before the strain was realized and began to settle in. They'd been exchanging blows less and less and using more magics, Cid with fire and wind while Zane preferred lightning and ice.   
Just now, however, Zane was working on summoning Shiva as his last ditch effort to bring the younger, more energetic Cid down to his level of pain and equalize the tables again. Thirty years unsettled may have brought him strength and wisdom, but it had also made him older and his muscle weren't quite what they used to be. Another few blows and he had stepped back, slamming the brunt of his weapon against Cid's knocking hit back and causing him to stumble.   
"Diamond Dust!"   
"Aw crap."   
Zane found himself being pulled back into another world adjoining the one he was accustomed to. The world of Summons, so to speak. Hovering there as Shiva traded places with him, welling up into the vision of the enemy of the day. Almost immediately Zane was given a sense of something being wrong. Watching as Shiva welled power in her hands, he heard screaming in the back of his mind, that area that seemed connected to the planet.   
Cid on the other hand was bracing for the blow, trying to heal himself from what he expected of the razing winds and Ice of the Summon that had been unleashed on him. Looking up at the mighty woman, nearly a goddess of valued legend, he just smirked. "Gimmie yer best shot, bitch."   
Tightness curled around Zane's heart as he felt himself floating in this other world, his eyes widening as he watched from the side and just behind his Summon, watching darkness from the ethereal realm he was in dripping down onto Shiva's back and starting to spread like a virus. Once the power of the summon reached her limit, the standard attack was released down upon the opponent, covering him over in a blast of icy wind, razors of icicles assaulting the lancer man before shattering painfully.   
"That all ya got woman?!" Cid laughed as he stood again, waving a gloved fist after the vanishing Summon. Or more precisely, waving his fist after the Summon that was supposed to be vanishing. It didn't. Shiva was glaring at him, her hands on her hips. "Uh-oh."   
  
Zane watched from his helpless other world as he could see the blackness spreading, filling his beloved summon with sickness and disease. His mouth moved and his vocal cords screamed in warnings left unheard to his warrior partner. Shiva was changing quickly in the eyes of both men as her delicate form change to something looking more starved and hungry, growing claws and sharpened teeth as her suddenly vicious form of living ice suddenly pounced down on the intended victim of the afternoon.   
Cid's screams did not reach the dead silence of the ethereal realm in which Zane hung, displaced and unheard as there was no source of sound. Yet there was something else. A spreading feeling of terror and helplessness. As Zane reached out in some desperate form of communication with Cid, he found shackles and chains of dark energy around his wrist, stretching out behind him. He turned away from the sight of his friend being mangled by his insane Summon to see what had unknowingly captured him and could only stare into a voice of a creature, blacker than the very void itself, devouring all things bright and living into itself for destruction.   
"No..." Zane found himself speaking in surprise and horror as the voices in the back of his skull went silent, the warning lost futilely. Even this moment of looking back, he'd missed the killing blow to his lover which had ended this strange entrapment as the need to exist ended. The blackness reached out and latched a large hand around the bulk of Shiva's body, pulling it back into the ethereal realm and booting out the momentary puppet it had made Zane into, leaving the man in his own sunny little world once more, next to Cid who was not breathing from the deep gash in his chest.   
"Cid!" Zane exclaimed in shock, quickly casting Life on the fallen man, followed with a heavy dose of cure. Though his own experience had badly shaken him, he was not prepared to lose Cid over some foolish little mistake or evil within the planet's core. More willing to forget what he'd seen all together, he pulled the partially healed and revived man into his arms, nearly to drop him again from the bitter cold coursing through his body.   
He cursed almost as valiantly as Cid did on his worst days and recalled back to his ShinRa training. Remembering how some troops seemed more susceptible to Hypothermia than others when they had traveled to the far northern cities for patrol and control. Half the time their invasions had completely failed from the sickness and dangers of the snowy lands and soldiers unprepared for what they had to face, so after a while, everyone had been trained with certain degrees of knowledge in the area.   
"C-c-c-c-f-f-fuck-c-c-cold.." Came the weak voice of Cid, breathy and barely alive even with the healing as the temperature fought the magic with intent to keep him dead. He wasn't even warm enough for his body to shiver, simply laying there on the sand as Zane watched over him with a desperately thoughtful expression. 

"I know, I know, just hang in there, Cid. Hang in there." Zane spoke suddenly and moved beside him, starting to dig in the sand with his hands, a set course within his mind. There were several actions to perform and he had to do all of them before Cid slipped into unconsciousness again. If he did, Zane might lose him forever as healing and life magic could only do so much from experience. He dug a shallow trench out quickly with his hands, one that would accommodate for most of Cid's height and a touch deeper still before pulling the freezing man into it.   
"The sun is on our side, and the wind's aren't too bad." Zane spoke as he worked, giving Cid something to concentrate on, worried even as the man's skin held the blue-grey tint of death warmed over. "With all this heated sand, I should be able to get you warmed back up again. And the driftwood out here should be some good fire stock."   
He departed from Cid a moment and gathered up some of said driftwood, starting to build small piles near his head and by his feet after stripping him down to nothing so he could fully accept the heat of the sun and the sands, knowing full well he'd have to crawl in there with him as soon as he got the fires and spare wood attained. It was standard procedure, he had no qualms with doing it. 

*-*-* 

There was desperate pummeling of fists on the door to Cid's home in the middle of their casual conversation and Shera once more went to get the door, wondering what could possibly be wrong now in a wonderful day like this. "Er, ye-"   
"Where's the captain, we've got an emergency!" The Watchman from one of the outer homes barged forward, gripping Shera by her slender shoulders.   
"He's out with Zane, I'm sure he's quite alright. Please calm down Mr.Rictor, what's going on? Wont you come in?" Shera sighed a bit, wondering if today was going to be normal or not.   
"There's no time, someone has to get the Captain! First the SOLDIER, and now this.. That Black Patrol is approaching!"   
Shera rose a brow but ti was Vincent, who'd moved up beside her, that spoke first. "The Black Patrol?"   
"Yes! They may not be backed by ShinRa anymore, but that's only made them more dangerous without rules to guide them! The Turks are coming, HERE, the chocobos just came over the mountains!" Mr.Rictor almost screamed in his face. The large man was quite scared, apparently hearing one too many campfire stories of what The Turks were capable of and had been set off into a blind terror that he thought only a leader could get them out of.   
A metal claw peeled back the frantic man's fingers from Shera's shoulders and he shoved the man out, following him. "Well, the Captain seems somewhat indisposed. Why don't we go meet him ourselves? I'm sure we can turn them away without any trouble, my dear Rictor."   
"Thank you, Vincent." Shera said tiredly after him. The stoic figure just waved his human hand back towards her by way of 'see you later' and lead the man off through the minuscule town to what could be considered the entrance to Rocket Town. 

  
"Strange. There's four of them. Last I checked, the Turks only numbered in three's." Vincent spoke aloud to himself, perched atop a simple Mountain Chocobo. He'd gotten Frista from Cloud before they had all gone their separate ways as a parting gift for not getting to know him better through their escapades of the planet saving ordeal. The bird had been his only companion as of late, outside of rare visits to Cid and Shera for a cup of tea and talks of the world.   
Sitting there on his Chocobo, he mused over watching their chocobos being driven hard, as if there was a sense of urgency behind the blazing riders, kicking up dirt and dust behind them, taking no care weather or not they were seen. He sipped a bit of water from a flask from his saddlebags and made mental notes of the riders. The blazing redhead in the suit marking the presence of the cocky Reno. Rude seems to have been polishing the bald scalp of his as it almost seemed to glint in the sunlight as the bulky man clung to his hefty bird. Elena was there, a bit older along with the rest, riding her chocobo expertly, rolling with the bird's every motion and nearly getting ahead of the lead bird several times.   
And yet, the man on the lead chocobo, though familiar, he could not seem to quite place. Black hair, bearded and in a navy suit, seemed to be spurring most the desperation. A jockey whip in his hand as he whipped his bird now and then as he saw the town ahead of him, though wary of the chocobo waiting for them in front of the town. 

*-*-* 

"Cid." Zane spoke softly, fires roaring around them. The older man laying nude with his fallen brother-at-arms, holding him tight and close to himself, sharing his warmth and the heated sand he'd poured between the cracks of their bodies. He'd spoken to him softly the entire time, and had finally come to admitting his fears. "Cid, don't die on me like this. You're the first person I've ever thought could understand."   
"Zuh-Zane.." Cid replied, his eyes barely open, unfocused though directed at the man. Conscious, but barely on speaking terms, a slim shiver to his body and the flaming heats surrounding him.   
"You cant go like this. Not like this. We've so much to discuss still. So much to explore. You haven't even told me half your ideas, I know that. I saw how many of your projects ShinRa rejected. I saved every one of them. Cid. Please. Don't go like this."   
"Zuh..." Cid rolled his eyes slightly. Good lord this was sappy.   
"Cid." His voice growing softer and husky, shifting his weight to press the pilot down into the sand, brushing his lips over the man's cheek to his lips before kissing him. Cid found himself with a completely different reason to focus, his eyes widening slightly in surprise. Too weak to retaliate or even join in, all he could do was stare as Zane's tongue licked ad his lips as if he were ice cream.   
His chin was gently pulled down as Zane continued to share his warmth on a much more intimate level, his tongue pressing into the pilot's mouth. His warmth against the pilot-sicle began to increase as even kissing the man in such a manner seemed to excite and intice him in a way he'd never even truly shared with his wife.   
The two of them became quite entranced with the shared kiss, Cid struggling against his own natural intolerance to the cold and the grayness that was trying to rake him into the world beyond. A sweet kiss beyond comparison of any other he'd really received, even in his younger years. Losing themselves in the desperate hunger for heat which was becoming mingled and confused with an unknown passion, that the approaching footsteps were lost in the crackle of both internal and external flames.   
"Ooh. Nice." Vincent cracked a smile at the two squirming men on the beach, glancing over at his gaping companion. Frowning once more at the shattered dreams that expressed on the younger man's face.   
"DAD?!?!!" Shrieked the navy suited man.   
Zane froze. His eyes going wide as dinner plates, pulling his tongue from Cid's throat and lips apart, looking further up the beach. "Oh gods no... Reeve?"   
Reeve stumbled back in complete shock, slapping Vincent's hand away when he'd been offered support, and just lunged back onto his chocobo and back into town where he'd left the rest. 

--- 

End Notes: Okay, Sephiroth didn't show up, but there IS an appearance in here somewhere. I just have to remember when he shows up. I think chapter three is going to be the FF8 world though, I need to go set up those characters somewhat before the Seven world progresses any more. That and its cute. 

Next Chapter!: Hm.. Well, it'll either be a continuation of the Seven world, or the setup of Jarod's relations and setup for the 8 world. The Cowboy Bebop and Internet stuff doesn't come up for a while yet, so don't hold your breath.


	3. Stick Figures

Authors Notes: Do you have any idea how hard it is to write BADLY?! Sheesh. I actually had to struggle today with trying to suck. I'm not sure it actually worked, who the hell knows. Eh I tried. Well, no, technically I DIDN'T try. Gah, its hot today. Computer is overheating and so is my intelligence.

Disclaimer: I do not own The Planet, the Other Planet, Sephiroth, Vincent, Reeve, Reno, Elena, Rude, Cid Highwind, Shera, Chaos, Seifer, Zell, Squall, Selphie, Irvine, Rinoa, Headmaster Cid, Quistis, Xu, Rajin, Fujin, Kawadoki (Probably spelled wrong several times), Balamb Garden, Spike, Jet, Swordfish, The claw thing Jet flies, or the Internet. I don't actually like Cloud, so he's being excluded from this fic.   
Info and Cyber are borrowed characters and I have been given full permission to use them within this fiction. Dolphin of Yaoi, thank you. Katelynne, Zane, Droxis, Apothis, various short lived characters and anyone else you don't recognize are probably mine. 'Hyperstyle' is mine, and if you'd like to use it, feel free, just give me credit for it. Anything not mentioned here I've probably forgotten about. 

**_Twisting Heads_**

World: Eight  
Time: A few years after the Sorceress War.  
Location: Balamb/Garden  
Warning: This is not a Mary-Sue, but it still sucks like one.

Jarod was a frail boy, his former private school uniform hanging off his shoulders in limp folds despite being the smallest size the fitters had in their department. Almost holding the appearance of stick like thinness, causing one to wonder what was preventing him from keeling over and simply dying right there in the road. Rightfully, every step he took should've shattered his small feet, and the bundle of books he hauled along against his chest should've weighed more than him.  
Alright, this was an exaggeration, but when you haven't had any food or water for two days of walking, the mind tends to begin to despair and start to destroy itself with misery. Jarod WAS stick-like, and his clothes did not fit, but he wasn't a week porcelain doll either. After the ride on the fisherman's boat, taking the last of his money to get there, he'd tried walking through the small fisherman's town to the Garden. His stamina, however, had finally run dry, and just outside the city limits, he had collapsed on the side of the road, his dazed eyes looking at the top of the Garden building peeking out from the treetops in the lands ahead.  
Barely raising his head enough to slip his books under, he thought that maybe, just maybe if he could get some rest, he could go onwards again. That maybe the monsters wouldn't come this close to the city and he'd be safe. Completely unattentive of the soft footsteps on the road until the shadow fell over him, blocking out the fiery gaze of the sun on his travel worn body.  
"What the hell?" The person over Jarod remarked quietly, looking down at him.   
Looking up was some struggle, but Jarod managed. Meeting those sea green eyes with his own sharply emerald ones. His gaze swept over him fallingly, only making note of his large white-grey trenchcoat, closing his eyes again as the person didn't seem of any threat really. Not that he could do much even if he was. His lips parted and shallow breaths rasping harshly in his throat from dehydration. So tired, so very tired. Even getting poked at with the man's boot didn't really bother him.  
Though having his head lifted a few moments later and a canteen of water pressed to his lips and tilted so he could drink was something of a surprise however. His breath shallow and his heart wasn't in much better condition, he took minuscule sips, one at a time, a soft gasp slipping free fro him after each, almost afraid it would be lifted away just to torment him if he took too much.  
  
"Come on, come on, take more than that." Seifer spoke, pulling Jarod up from the road into a sitting position against his own crouched form. Keeping the canteen where the kid could drink from it, he dug around for a Potion within his pockets. Drawing it forth from his pockets and starting to remove the cap when around reached up and clutched at his coat.  
"Hands off." He glared at Jarod, peeling the frail articulation of bone and flesh off his coat before pouring the potion into Jarod's mouth and forcing him to swallow. The resulting coughing and choking sounds sounded painful enough that even Seifer had to wince and wondered how someone this bad could get this far. He watched over him as minor wounds and bruises sealed up from the effects of the magically imbued liquids. Still it didn't seem Jarod would move too far under his own power.  
"Odd." Seifer remarked, brows furrowing as Jarod's condition didn't improve otherwise. Pulling up the kid further, virtually holding the collapsing kid entirely. After a moment of trying to get him to stand, Seifer simply picked him up in his arms and stood. Arranging him a bit better, one arm curled under the kid and leaning him against his shoulder, Seifer continued holding the canteen for him to drink from. Eventually, the kid opened his eyes again and could hold the container himself, looking at Seifer thankfully every few sips.  
"You're a mess." Frowning at the frail kid as he simply didn't seem to e talking. There was a moments consideration that maybe he didn't speak the language, but fro the uniform on his body, he must've known something of the standard language. Maybe it was a medical condition? Something to explore later maybe.  
His statements were met with continued silence, just a little nod and a shining intelligence in those eyes. More reptilian than emerald really, now that a good look was to be had. Jarod looked moderately healthy and intelligent, just... Weak. Taking a moment to consider what he'd seen before the kid collapsed and all, he tilted his head and rose a brow at him.  
"I suppose I should take you to the Garden then, Hm?"   
The question brought a smile and a nod, along with the bonus movement of those thin fingered hands moving to his book bag and drawing forth a sheaf of papers, showing them to Seifer. Transfer papers, from a small line of very private schools, and abruptly directly to Balamb Garden despite being a bit old for recruitment.

"Hmm. Alright then." Seifer moved Jarod a bit more, amused the boy immediately adjusted himself to be carried far more easily, and began walking towards the garden, continuing to read the transfer papers as he went. Maybe they weren't meant for his eyes, but when the opportunity presented itself, damned if he was going to let it slip by.  
  
Jarod had some oddities to him, the nurses of the schools and one specific doctor found no problems with his throat and voice box. He should've been laughing and singing along with the rest of the boys throughout the years, but never did. He was reclusive in his silence, sticking to the libraries and studying, avoiding most physical labor outside of hauling books and occasional swimming laps. Ofcourse, this was all plainly explained over he next sheet of paper. Jarod had tested as AIDS positive at a terribly young age. A few people proposed whatever had caused him to retract this condition had been bad enough to mentally turn him mute. Psychologists couldn't get to him despite it being clear he understood various languages and could write quite legibly in all of them.  
His transfer papers traced his education, lines and lines of private schools, only one public school listed, before a forced request to transfer to the Garden. He'd been ahead in every grade intellectually and there was reason to believe the Garden might be the only educational challenge to his brain. Teachers and his principals had grudgingly agreed and now, here he was, in Seifer's arms, heading towards the school.  
"Mute, huh? Trepe is going to love you, at least she wont have to tell you to shut up all the time." He started folding the papers, when something shot by him, cycling around him to face them off. A large blue Fly. Seifer frowned and was about to say something, but the kid was already slipping from his arms and standing behind him. "Hn. Smart kid."  
Seifer drew his Gunblade and pulled into a stance, facing off with the critter who had so graciously waited long enough for them to position themselves and let Seifer whistle a few bars of battle music, jazzing himself up before the bug attacked him. So much for dramatics. A swing of his blade, slicing through the fragile head shelling and the rest of the carapace and exoskeleton. The two halves plopped to the ground in a bit of buggy goop, rather dead.

"Blue Fly, not the smartest of creatures." He turned around as he wiped his blade on the grass, to find he kid scouting around, not fearfully, but apparently just making sure there wasn't any there monsters around, all spotter like. Seifer just shook his head and sheathed his blade again, scooping up the frail boy and continuing on to the garden, humming something that sounded some classical music. Dachaunn's 4th perhaps.  
Jarod pulled himself up a little and put an arm around his shoulders, Steadying himself and allowing himself a better view of his surroundings, picking up on the tune and humming along softly. Nestled close and comfortable against his chance elected guardian. Pacing through the gates, the kid's smile just blossomed widely, looking at all the plants and the trees, the construction of the garden itself and ll the splays and seemingly pointless points of construction.   
Seifer took Jarod up to the map of the garden up front as he passed through the garden and finally set him down, pointing out the various areas on the map discussing what they were for, then pointed out the elevator. "I'd take ya to see the headmaster myself, but," He smirks and rubs the back of his neck, a momentarily dark pattern moving across his eyes. "He hates my guts."  
Jarod rose a brow at Seifer but as usual said nothing, walking towards the elevator with the tall student.  
"Squall's a cold bastard, but he's pretty fair."   
Jarod nodded solemnly, but paused before triggering the elevator. Seifer knew his name from the papers, but he didn't know his.  
"Seifer. My name's Seifer." He gave the kid a little mock salute, then made his way off to other things.  
As he strode off and the doors closed, his ears caught a series of intricate tapping. Was that Morse Code? Yes it was. And it was asking if he could decode it. Startled, he turned around to respond, just to see Jarod's knowing smile vanish behind the shutting of the elevators doors.  
"Weird kid."

** *_*_*_* **

The registration process with Headmaster Squall was a bit of a long one considering Jarod couldn't verbally communicate or was willing to and unlike the eccentric Seifer, didn't appear to know Morse code, nor did Xu, his secretary. The papers were given and rather one sided conversation, introduction to the garden and so forth. Unfortunately for them, turning Jarod away wasn't precisely an option as it seemed not only did he have nowhere else to go, no one else would take him, judging him fast on his physical condition.   
With mutters of getting the rejects of society as of late, the headmaster cycled his papers in with the rest, starting to thumb through the list of rooms to see what was available. Eventually, everything was settled, he was given someone to bunk with, and a uniform would be measured up for him in a day or two, and he was kicked out f the office by the harshly toned man.  
Just stepping out of the office however, Jarod fainted from exhaustion, hunger, dehydration still raging, and triggered by the bliss of being accepted into one of the most reputable schools known in these parts. He was quickly peddled off to the Infirmary to be looked over and taken care of.  
It was rumors of the sick kid being taken into the ranks that cycled throgh the students and the other SeeD that got Seifer's attention. Fairly obvious it was Jarod, he took his time drifting towards the infirmary as he went around his usual rounds of his former Disciplinary Committee actions. Eventually he slipped into the wing about two hours after the incident, making sure the doctor was off attending to someone hurt in the training grounds before checking up on the kid in his bed.   
Seifer's face wrinkled in distaste slightly as he entered as the smell of disinfectant was almost overpowering. They didn't seem to know too much about the disease Jarod had and were working hard to keep it from spreading in any possible fashion. Nothing but a small drip IV inserted into Jarod's arm as they hadn't thought he could eat on his own.  
Watching him a moment, Seifer realized Jarod was actually awake and merely taking the opportunity to rest before facing the rest of the students. The frail boy seemed to already know he'd be the topic of the school for a while and was bolstering himself here in this starched and cold unforgiving bed.   
"Want that think out of your arm?" He murmured softly as he got closer. Seifer could push and damn jerk around that he wanted to, break arms, twist heads and cut people to ribbons if he wanted to, ad few people could stop him. But he wasn't a completely insensitive bastard as everyone was convinced. There were places he drew limits, and this guy would have to be one hell of a limit. Life had already beat him down hard and it was clear that his mere presence here was show of how damn stubborn he was to survive against all the odds. The nod from Jarod further confirmed his intuition.  
He leaned over, pinching the line shut with one of the clips nearby and carefully removed the needle. A bit of gauze and tape from the table within the room and he was set. "People are undoubtedly stupid when the mothering instinct kicks in."  
-_So I've noticed. I've had to deal with it in just about every school since.._- He tapped out in Morse code against the side of the bed with a heart monitor clipped to his finger against the metal of the bed. His sentence left unfinished, as it was pretty obvious what he was referring to. After all, not many people were in public with such a 'contamination'.

"I know what you mean, When smoothing happens, people treat you different." Seifer sighed a bit, his own life hadn't been all that easy. Most of the worst was still recent and burning brightly in his mind despite being years past. He still hadn't made SeeD, and if he passed the next test, he'd be kicked out of the school, considered past his prime. He shook his he'd slightly to keep in the present and looked Jarod over.  
-_Yes. But I prefer not to let it get to me. I may be different, but I can still function, think and do things for myself. I intend to live life the same way as if I had never contracted it_.- Jarod, compared to another boy of his average age, seventeen or eighteen, would seem seriously underweight and pale beyond comparison. But to Jarod, he was at peak health right now, in the best shape he could be at the time, all things considered. His eyes now open and unclouded were sharp as a T-rexuar's teeth with intelligence and a hunger for knowledge. Despite his condition, he had a flamingly strong, stubborn spirit.  
"Good to hear. You wont get babied much around here If you've got potential, they'll find it. If you don't have potential. Well. Nothing can be done for you." He smirked and reached out to puck him up. "Now come on, lets get you out of bed before they try spoon feeding you."  
-_You're contradicting your own statements._- He laughed, a huffing quick airy sound no tone added to it at all. He'd silenced his laughter as well as his voice it seemed. He waved off the hands a bit and swung his legs over the edge of the bed, pausing a moment to rub his temple as he had a moment of dizziness. He still needed some food in that hungry little belly of his.  
Seifer smirked, pulling out a half sandwich and a small carton of milk swiped from the cafeteria, presenting them to Jarod. "Figured you'd need these."  
-_Thank you, very much._- His expression warming and eyes lighting up a bit with the sight of food. Taking them from Seifer's hands, Jarod moved into eating and drinking quickly. Not fast enough to choke, but fast enough for Seifer to realize Jarod really didn't like being in the infirmary. Seifer smirked a bit, crossing his arms as he leaned against a nearby wall, one eye closed the other barely open as he watched Jarod and put his muscled body on display. Yeah, he knew he was a sexy bastard.

Jarod looked over the display with a casual movement. Clearly checking Seifer out, but made absolutely no motion of interest beyond it. The disease had turned him off almost all physical contact, not to mention thoughts of courtship and bed play. His gender preference may have leaned towards males from the appreciative looks he was giving Seifer, but it really didn't mean much. His life had changed ad he accepted there were some things he could never have. He merely finished his food, tossing the trash into a bin near the end of the bed, and moved to leave.  
Seifer grinned slightly from the attention. Looks like that weren't given to him every day, at least not so forward and casual. It almost brought a blush to his cheeks, but not quite. "You'll have to forgive me, I'm a bit of a showoff."  
-_Forgiven, I'd probably do the same thing in your position._- Still a bit dizzy as the food hadn't yet started to be digested, he put out a hand to steady himself, trying to convince himself the floor wasn't trying to heave and sin and get him off. He stumbled over his own feet and nearly fell all the same.  
"Whoa there, you look drunk like that." Seifer pushed off the wall, catching him and picking him up in his arms. He could swear Jarod seemed to only weigh ninety pounds, maybe less. He was rather amused Jarod still managed to find some way to be alive. He grinned a bit as Jarod stroked his cheek after being lifted, so he could continue the Morse communication as Seifer started to try and sneak the both of them out.   
-_Perhaps, but I try to stay away from alcohol. It makes me terribly sick rather than drunk._- Not that he minded, alcoholism didn't seem that attractive anyway. The two looked quite a sight as the escaped the horribly clean tangy smell of the infirmary. The new kid curled up weakly in Seifer's arms, one hand on his face, and Seifer looking dark and protective. Jarod closed his eyes, letting the sway and rock that seemed natural to Seifer's steps comfort his body and mind as he tried to figure out how to find his room. All he'd been given was a last name, Almsay. But how would he find a student if he wouldn't, couldn't speak?

Taking the kid into the Quad, which was blissfully empty this tie of day, Seifer set Jarod down on a bench so he could enjoy the inner splendor of one of the best parts of the Garden, sitting down beside him. Jarods hand immediately moved to something he could tap his hard nails against and be heard by the other young man.  
-_If all the students here are as nice as you are, I'm sure I'll get along fine here._- From his expression however, He didn't really expect to be treated like a prince, or even noticed at all past the entering rumors. And didn't seem the least bit bothered by this prospect.   
"I'm not nice, hun. I'm wicked. The nice students are the ones that will be coming along and cooing over you with the typical, 'aww, you POOR dear!' comments." He said, laughing.  
-_I avoid the type. Anyone who thinks I need to be taken care of will be sorely mistaken._- He smirked and leaned back against the bench, looking up and around at the Quad. -Give me two weeks, I'll probably be two grades ahead of my age level.- He tapped, thinking about his previous schools, and being so far ahead the teachers had trouble fathoming what the hell to teach him next and still be able to teach those far behind him. Though he came here for the academic challenge, he had secretly been thinking about fighting. His other schools hadn't taught anything about it really, and as weak as he was, he had no idea if he was capable of anything at all due to this. He HAD been babied by the other schools. His brows furrowed just lightly, a touch angered by these thoughts, but ti passed.  
"Maybe, but I doubt it. Balamb has some pretty tough levels." Seifer had settled to a light chuckle, unaware of what his companion was thinking and dreaming of.  
-_Good. If it didn't, my transferal would've been a complete waste._- Hr miles brightly, looking back at Seifer, then paused. Woops, did he leave his book bag in the infirmary?  
"They probably sent it to your room." He said, relaxed on the bench, apparently guessing off his expression.  
-_Wonderful. I don't even know where my room is, all they gave me was a last name._-  
"Eh? Which name? I've been here so long I know practically every name in the whole damn building."  
-_Almsay. I've never see a stranger expression on a Headmaster's face though._- Jarod shook his head, a little befuddled. -_I think his secretary was trying to talk him out of placing me with this person and put me somewhere else. Really makes me wonder what kind of person I've been bunked with._-

Seifer struggled rather valiantly to keep a straight solemn face, but after Jarod had finished, he couldn't help it and burst out into deep and throaty laughter, slapping his leg and looking like he was going to bust his spleen from almost frightening guffaws of mirth.  
Jarod sat there, brows raising then lowering into a look of utter and complete befuddlement. Was this a joke? What was so funny about this last name and reaction? Jarod had been left in the dark and apparently had been living under a rock for some time. -_Erm... What?_-  
Seifer calms down, wiping a bit of wetness from his eyes and grinning wide a him almost feral. "Hi, I'm Seifer Almsay. I'll be your roommate for the semester."  
Jarod quickly flashed a grin and offered a hand in shake, all caught up and laughing silently himself. - _Jarod Wraith, pleased to make your acquaintance.-_  
"You might hear some nasty rumors about me," Seifer said, smirking as he shook his hand. "Of course, most are true..."  
-_That may be, but having just come here, I know none of them. One cannot make a fair judgment off other peoples words in the first place anyway. Perhaps you should fill me in first hand before anyone else tries to dilute my precious mind with disinformation.-_   
"Ehh.. Maybe later. I'll leave you innocent and un-frightened right now." He said with a sigh and a humorless smirk.  
-_Not all that easy to frighten, actually._- He closed his eyes, thinking about his lack of parents and the day he'd made his vow of silence. There were some many reasons he was here today instead of merely staying at home to sped the rest of his life spoon-fed in bed.  
Seifer closed his eyes and bowed his head slightly in respect, each having a moment of relative silence to turn their thoughts over in their minds, considering and pondering. Only broken by a soft, tapping inquiry.  
-_Can you show me where our room is? I'd like to unpack._-

Seifer nodded, getting up, and moving out of the quad, lightening and slowing his pace so Jarod could keep up. The kid walking behind him slightly through the halls of the unfamiliar campus. The two simply ignored the murmurs of students in the halls, about the sick kid and the killer moving in close concentric circles. It was only a matter of time before word spread they were bunking together.

--------

Next Chapter!   
Oh.. Hell.. I dont know.. Um. Either gratouitus loving from Cid and Zane, or some more info from FF8. There IS plot here, I swear. Im just not telling you where it starts.


End file.
